TravelPod Member ReviewsEttington Park Hotel Alderminster

“ A wonderful venue with wonderful staff ”

Reviewed May 30, 2013

by chrisngary (4 reviews) , Australia

This hotel is absolutely wonderful and one that we will come back to next time we're in England. The manor house, the grounds, the ruins - all made it memorable. But what made it truly special were the staff. Pleasant, discrete but very really friendly. they really made it a special stay and for that we thank them.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.

Historical Traveler Reviews Ettington Park Hotel Alderminster

Nice but not worth the price!

from anonymous

My husband, his business partner and his wife and I stayed here for one night. Whilst on arrival the setting is beautiful there were many disappointments.

Sandwiches ordered on arrival took 45 mins and were wrong, we ordered desert of choc snacks, 15mins later we were told they hd no choc on premises! We foolishly didn't complain because we wanted to enjoy the short time we had. The pool or should I say paddling pool was freezing as was the spa, you could not have relaxed in here ina swimming costume. We had a gorgeous suite overlooking the grounds but it was dusty, had a hole in the curtains and only one lamp was working. We had booked a meal in the restaurant for 7.15 we eventually got shown to our table at 8.30 which was not in the oak restaurant as promised but with the valentines couples in another room,the meal though presented beautifully was spoiled by the length of time we waited for it. When trying to relax after we found all areas very smokey.On retiring to our rooms the maids had turned down the bed and left slippers for us, nice touch, however my husband had been left two right feet, useless. Breakfast took just as long.To top it all after paying just over £1000 I had left my hat and gloves behind, after making a phone call to the hotel they asked me for my credit card details so they could charge me £5 to post them back. CHEEKY. Shall not bother again.

Nice but a bit of a rip off

from Shopaholic2208

There is no denying that this is a beautiful hotel. We stayed in the modern wing, in which great effort had been made to ensure that it integrated well with the rest of the building. The room was a little on the small size and terribly overheated, with a rather pathetic shower. We stayed as part of a wedding party and were charged a "reduced" rate of £140.00, however it was not mentioned at the time of booking or on the website that this figure did not include VAT and we would be charged VAT on all drinks charged to our room at the point of sale. This left many members of the party with bills that made our hangovers significantly worse and soured an otherwise good experience.

Beautiful hotel - overpriced and staff overworked

from anonymous

This is very beautiful hotel with some gorgous rooms.

The problem is that the reality doesn't match up with their advertised aims. It was not like staying at a country house at all. These do not tend to have the windows nailed down and bright lights blasting through the rooms. I do not expect airconditioning in a hotel like this but summers must be unbearable in some rooms. There were windows but of the "painted over" variety which do not open.

The atmosphere and grounds are supurb though. They are lit up at night which sadly means the front of the hotel has brights lights which go through the curtains. Combined with the lack of fans in the rooms this means poor ventilation for the guests.

We found things a bit patchy thorough - particularly service and food. The hotel has employed some new european staff and they have yet to understand how a british hotel works or the items they are serving - afternoon tea is pretty awful here. We only got half of our breakfast on the first day.

The food is in the main restaurant was great but as it is the same menu everynight the options are not good enough. The chef needs to provide a few nightly "specials".

As this hotel hosts weddings etc it can be difficult for the normal paying guests to get access to the bar, terrace etc as the wedding guests tend to take it over.

Ten out of ten

from anonymous

From the minute we were going up the drive of the the hotel everything was perfect - location, building, staff, decor, ambience, our room, food.

The hotel had a lovely feeling which I have not had in many similar hotels or restaurants, that I believe is made up of a combination of things but mainly due down to the staff and how they interact with each other and more importantly with guest and diners. Every single member of staff was professional, they were warm and friendly not easy when English is not your first language, but they all managed it.

The food was excellent, they didn't mind changing me main meal slightly and actually when out of their way to find out what I would prefer.

The room was beautiful and gardens stunning. Excellent location for a Wedding.

Thank you to all at Ettington Park for making it a lovely weekend for us. We shall definately be back

Does not worth the price

from anonymous

The room was filthy, dust on the nightstands. Only one reading lamp in the room (and they knew we were 2!), the room service menu was so filthy with food remains you could just eat from it instead of ordering. The shower temperature could not be adjusted. Should I continue? - My suggestion is: find another hotel!

For somewhere a bit special ...

from anonymous

All in all I would highly recommend this hotel. We stayed one night for our wedding anniversary and had decided to treat ourselves to a really good hotel in the country, in its own grounds, with a pool and a good restaurant. Basically we wanted something a bit special. And with Ettington Park we definitely got it.

The hotel itself is a beautiful old country house, very gothic in style, and set in gorgeous and beautifully maintained grounds. It would be a perfect setting for a wedding.

The staff were all courteous and friendly, our room was lovely, spotlessly clean, and the bathroom was large with a separate bath and shower, and again spotlessly clean, with a heated towel rail which really dried the towels so they were dry for the morning which made a nice change for a hotel. Our bedroom and bathroom both had windows as we were lucky enough to be at the end of a corridor so both rooms were nice and bright.

We used the pool which was on the small side but perfect for floating around relaxing in, and we also used the jacuzzi which to my delight wasn't a hot tub but was at the same temperature ad the pool which meant that even though I was pregnant I could use it. Fluffy clean towels were provided.

We had dinner in the hotel dining room, which was pricey at £41 each, however it was a real event and the food was gorgeous so worth every penny. We started off with drinks and nibbles on the terrace, followed by soup course and bread rools, then starter, main, and dessert. All delicious.

The only downside was - I think we were in the newer part of the hotel as the walls were quite thin and we had noisy neighbours who had their TV blaring at 11.30pm. We phoned to reception to ask them to ask the people to turn it down, and it was dealt with immediately.

Also, we had breakfast in our room and we didn't get as much as was suggestedon the menu card that we'd filled in, plus it was a little ater than we'd asked for, but we didn't mind too much.

I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone, and we hope to return there ourselves some day.

Comme-ci, Comme-ca.

Everything We had Hoped For

from anonymous

I contacted the staff at Ettington Park Hotel to make reservations during an upcoming visit to England. My husband and I had seen this Hotel from the road on prior visits and were anxious to spend a night there. The reservations were made through e-mail and the reservation clerk was extremely polite and helpful. She guided us to a room that was just perfect and met all of our expectations. Although it was in the dead of winter, one would have thought it was peak season. The bar was well staffed; the restaurant was operating at 100% and the attention to our needs to ensure a great stay was exceptional. This Hotel, which looks like a castle, has atmosphere, history, service, and upon reflection reminds me of a piece of wonderful English history. My husband and I will definitely return. It is a little pricey but everyone should treat themselves to this exceptional respite.

Fawlty Towers Lives

from anonymous

Dreadful stay, the room was a disgrace with frayed curtains and a dirty, ill fitting carpet with burn holes in too. The staff were uncaring and rude. Complaints were not dealt with properly. Security is very lax. The restaurant has been through several cooks recently and the food is dreadful. The grounds are lovely but this hotel has suffered a huge drop in standards in the last six months due to a dreadful, rude, ignorant manager who has no customer skills whatsoever....

Beautiful hotel and setting....a little overpriced...

from anonymous

The location and hotel is breathtaking. While I enjoyed my stay there I would say that I think this hotel is a little overpriced. They "nickle and dime" you a bit...when we got our bill we were a little surprised at how we were charged for some of their "conveniences"....I'd recommend either booking one of their b'fast and/or dinner packages or having dinner and elsewhere....

TripAdvisor Reviews Ettington Park Hotel Alderminster

Outstanding

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